


You'll have such a nice surprise

by vonherder



Series: Cherry Chocolate [5]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, M/M, not quite anyway, still not the breakfast scene
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-02
Updated: 2015-11-26
Packaged: 2018-01-21 14:36:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1553861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vonherder/pseuds/vonherder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>The wake is over, We gotta leave because they said so. I want to tell you, I want to tell you but you're dead, so</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title and Summary from _Lost_ by Amanda Palmer  & The Grand Theft Orchestra
> 
> Well, we're getting close to the end. I have a plan, mostly. There is (at least) one more chapter to this part, and then two more separate installments after. And then it will all be over and done with

Phil had easily batted away the books that had been flung at him, though not without injury. Tony's eyes had been filled to the brim and his aim was a little off, but he'd certainly left his fair share of marks.

The morning's first projectile had certainly taken him by surprise. A coffee mug he had left on the table not ten minutes before, and Tony had launched it toward his head. It shattered against the cabinet next to him, a spray of sharp ceramic shards dropping unceremoniously into his batter.

He could feel a piece digging into his heel, wetting his steps with blood. 

Before him, Tony continued to hurl fists and kicks at him, eyes still blinded with tears. He was screaming, barely intelligible insults, curses and accusations.

Phil took his steady, measured breaths as he inched forward and waited for his chance. Tony was a flurry of movement and browns and reds and flying fists, trying to fend him off with anything he could reach. And he took it all, every strike. He had to. If he didn't, if he stopped now, if he walked away if would be over. And so he let Tony scream, let himself be the rock for Tony to break upon.

“No, no, _no!_ ” Tony was screaming, batting away his open, steady hands with a thick book. He chanted out, “No, no, christ _no! You can't! You can't!_ ”

Phil merely inched forward. Trying, now, to explain would be futile. Tony wouldn't hear it, couldn't hear it. He was a fury, swinging fists and desperation, backing away with Phil's each step closer. 

He saw it happening before Tony could do much to react. He stepped back once, only a pile of books that began to slip and slide out from under him. As Tony toppled forward against the back of the couch, Phil's hands closed over his waist, steadying him. Trapping him.

Tony didn't take notice for a few seconds, panting and scrambling for purchase against the couch. He gave a mournful cry and spun, attempting to flee, only to fling himself against Phil's chest, nearly bowling him over. His hands braced against Phil's chest, gripping a scrap of fabric between them, eyes finally beginning to clear.

Phil took his chance, trapping his wrists against his chest with one hand, the other closing over his waist to steady him. 

Tony cried out, eyes wide in terror, and tried to jerk back, desperate, feet still stumbling and slipping over the cluttered floor. He struggled fruitlessly in Phil's arms, gasping out tiny sounds and fighting to break away. He pressed his face against his caught hands and sobbed brokenly, heaving hard enough that his knees shook and gave out beneath him, dragging them both to the floor.

Phil closed his eyes and braced them both, taking as much of Tony's weight as he could, cushioning his fall. He pressed his back against the wall and cradled the younger man to his chest, dropping his forehead against Tony's. Phil sighed sadly and rubbed a hand up and down his heaving back, “It's okay, Tony. You're okay.”

He trembled and sobbed, shaking his head, “No! You can't be here! It's not—” He hiccuped, still trying to tug his hands away, “It's not _okay_. You _can't be here_.”

“Tony—”

“No!”

Phil bit his lip and stayed silent, listening to Tony choke and sob against his hands. Around them, the apartment was a disaster, a mess of ripped pages and shards of glass. Bloody footprints traced the way back to the kitchen where he could see pancake batter dripping down from the counter, where a thrown shoe had knocked the bowl over. 

“This is hell,” Tony said, mournfully, into his chest. He trembled and shivered, sagging against Phil in defeat, “Isn't it? I wake up and you're here. I dream, and you're here. Every time I open my eyes or close my eyes, you're here.”

Phil stroked his fingers slowly though Tony's hair and shifted to press a kiss to his forehead.

“So, this must be hell. Right?”

“It isn't. I promise you that this isn't hell.”

He laughed brokenly, still trying to tug his hands free of Phil's grip, “How am I supposed to trust you? _You're dead._ ”

He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head sadly, “I'm not, Tony.”

“But you _are_. You're dead and I'm not okay.”

“No, don't say that. Everyth—” 

“I'm broken, Phil. I've cracked. I'm hallucinating. I can't tell when I'm awake.” He pulled back enough to look Phil in the eyes, his own still shining bright with tears. His lips twitched upward with the ghost of a smile, “You're here. _I'm not okay_.”

“I'm here, Tony,” he whispered, pressing their foreheads together. “I'm alive and I'm here. I'm _real_ , Tony.”

He shook his head and sighed, pressing his face into the crook of Phil's neck, “I love you. Did you know that?”

“Yes.”

“See? You can't be real. You couldn't know that.”

“You told me,” Phil said, shifting to get comfortable. “Last night. Told me that it was your favourite dream. And I promised you that I would be here when you woke up.”

Tony stiffened just slightly, still shivering. He shook his head and tugged at his wrists again, “No.”

“You made me promise.”

“On what?” Tony asked, weakly.

Phil smiled a little, relinquishing his hold on Tony's wrists in favour of wrapping his arms tightly around the younger man, “Cherry chocolate pancakes.”

Tony laughed against his clavicle, the sound swiftly turning into a broken sob. He wound his arms round Phil's chest, pushing himself as close as his could manage. He was a trembling mess, sleep mussed in an over-large sweater.

Phil wrapped his arms tighter around him, pulling his as close as possible, his nose pressed into Tony's hair. He took slow and steady, deep, even breaths. Trying to keep calm, trying to keep himself from trembling and shaking right along with the younger man. Trying to hold out a little longer before he allowed himself to break down. He had to. He was Tony's rock. 

He took another deep, deep breath and closed his eyes.


	2. NOTE 11-26-15

Okay, first, I am not Al, vonherder, or whatever else she goes by around these parts. My name is Jay and I am her _Delete My Internet History If I Die, Update My Blog If I Go To Prison_ person.

Second, she is NOT dead! I promise! Nor is she incarcerated. She is, however, in the hospital still at the moment. The reason you're all just getting an update now is because I had not been given express permission by either her or her family to put any information out there. But she did just give me the go ahead and she did approve this message.

Okay, so, this past August Al was in a pretty bad wreck. Right side of her body got a bit knocked about, but it wasn't _bad_ bad; broken wrist/hand, dislocated shoulder and a few cracked ribs. All things considered, she got off easy. So that was all fine, she was recovering pretty well, she'd been dictating new chapters and junk to her boyfriend so she could just jump in and start posing stuff once she could type and edit again.

And then they got into another car accident.

Al spent two and a half weeks in a coma, on top of quite a few more broken bones and other injuries. So far there have been no signs of any lasting brain trauma, so she should make a full recovery. She's doing good, hasn't lost any memories that we've noticed, she's sharp and she's been keeping all of her story lines/details straight as she and Dave go through everything. That being said, coming out of a coma sucks balls and piling injury on top of injury doesn't do anyone any good, so physical recovery is taking some time.

BUT. As I mentioned above, she and her boyfriend—Dave, you may talk to him some in the future—have been sort of writing more things (she's been talking and he's been scribbling furiously in notebooks) so he and I are going to work together to get it all typed up so it is easier for Al to edit and junk. 

So, a three person team will be furiously working on things for the foreseeable future and hopefully we can get you some updates soon like she had been trying to do before shit hit the car. Dave and I are both writers/reporters for the same newspaper, so it isn't like she's getting inexperienced help, but... Neither of us write fiction and neither of us are even remotely certain how to operate this site—but he's been exploring so hopefully we don't screw anything up—so if you have any quick tips, they would be welcome. Dave himself is apparently super into The Man From UNCLE, so he has started his first foray into fanfiction—fiction in general, actually—by starting a story somewhere on the kink meme thing and getting Al's mildly amused input on it as he goes along and it is super adorable. Starting slow, but at least we're starting something, right? 

Dave has been compiling a huge list of things for her to read/have read to her while she's stuck in bed, but if you have any recs she says that you are all totally welcome to send them along also—in any fandom or pairing, just anything you think she'd like or enjoy.

If you need to reach either of us for any reason, after today I think it has been decided that Dave will take over the inbox here and I will head up watching over her tumblr account—I've been doing really well considering I spent most of September forgetting which blog I was on and updating hers instead of my own because I don't pay attention, more fool me. We'll try to keep updating as she goes along and I'm going to, if possible, leave this note up until she's back on her own—is there a way to do that when you add a chapter here? I can't tell.

I'm putting this note on all three of her unfinished stories here, if there is anywhere else I need to put it, let me know. I could have missed something.

PERTINENT NEWS!

1) When I finally figure out how to read Dave's handwriting and add a new chapter to _You'll have such a nice surprise_ , it will be under a new title, she just hasn't told me what that will be yet. I will have both an edited first chapter and a completely new 2nd chapter to add once she approves and nit picks anything that I fucked up on whilst typing.

2) Al had been working on editing all of the existing chapters of _At least I then I could be bitter_ before the crash, so I believe that is the main thing she and Dave are going to continue working on as she figures out where to go with it.

3) No significant news for _Down from the divide_. That mess—goddamn, Dave, learn how to write print because you're cursive sucks—is next after I parse through and get Al's approval on _YHSANS_.

So, I think that is everything—and, wow, way longer than I had intended. Anything immediate, I will be glued to this computer for the next 10 or so hours. I believe she has anonymous asks on her tumblr. If not, I will allow those for the time being. Tumblr: http://alderevonherder.tumblr.com/

If you have any love to send her, Dave and I will be in and out pretty much constantly so she should get an update of your messages almost every day.

I think that's is it for the moment, off to work now. Just hit us up, we'll answer everything as best we can or we'll ask Al when we next see her.

**Author's Note:**

> Also, if you care at all, my best friend made me a playlist and it what I listen to when I write anything in this 'verse. I made a thing with links over on [tumblr](http://alderevonherder.tumblr.com/post/84483460548/cherry-chocolate-unofficial-soundtrack). I suggest it be listened to in order for reasons


End file.
